Draft Speech of Senator Harry S. Truman

-1- I want to say a word about Old Age Pensions. When I come to that subject and think about the changing attitude of our present Governor, I am reminded of the old lady down in Arkansas who was taking her grandson for a ride on the train. She bought a ticket and a half-ticket. When the conductor came to take up the tickets he looked at the boy and said, "Hhy, Madam, the boy has on long pants and he can't ride on this half-fare ticket". "Well" says Grandma, "if that is your rule, let the boy ride on the full ticket and I'11 ride on the half-ticket1" Now, our Governor in 1937-38 was calling the old people "Chislers". Even as late as January of this year the Post Dispatch #had an editorial entitled, "Chislers and Old Age Pensions". Again they told their readers that Governor Stark had called the old people of our state "Chislers". I expect the Governor felt like shooting that editorial writer, but coming from his favorite paper he had to take it. But today, in this campaign year, the Governor is writing to our old people how much he has done for them and how much he loves them. Instead of saying "DEAR CHISLER", he is calling them "Dear Uncle Bill, Dear Uncle Tom" and "Dear Aunt Lucy" won't you help me?" "Please do just once more, I know I've insulted you and all your family, but it was just a slip of the tongue and I was honestly trying to please the Post Dispatch for they think you old people are getting too much money." Now as to the money! President Roosevelt thinks the needy old people should get forty dollars per month, and signed a law saying, whenever a. state would give you old people twenty dollars per month then uncle Sam would give his twenty. The Governor's record comes next. And all the water in the Lake of the Ozarks can't wash it out, and all the buck-passing and personal excuses will not change the Auditor's reports. It may shock you, it will disgust you, and it may make Uncle Bill cuss and Aunt Lucy cry, but see page 85 and 103 of the Auditor's report. There is shown an appropriation of seventeen million dollars of State money for you old people, and S. RAUMAN NARA